Songfacts®:

• In December 2020, Jesy Nelson announced she was leaving Little Mix for mental health reasons. This swaggering R&B trap song with an element of hip-hop is her debut solo single.
• The song finds Nelson reflecting on the type of men she's attracted to.
  
  I like a bad, bad
  You know I like a bad, bad boy
  I like a bad boy, you can't stop me
  I love bad boys for life
  
  Nelson told The Guardian she goes for bad boys "who keep me on my toes, which sounds mental, but that's what excites me."
• Nelson co-wrote the song with:
  
  Singer-songwriter Abby "Absolutely" Keen, the sister of singer-songwriter RAYE Absolutely. Her other credits include Tinashe's "333" and David Guetta's "Get Together."
  
  Singer-songwriter Dayo "Dyo" Olatunji, who has contributed vocals to two UK #1 hits: Chipmunk's "Oopsy Daisy," and as Ms. D, Wiley's "Heatwave." As a songwriter, Dyo has co-penned hits for the likes of Iggy Azalea ("Bounce") and Nathan Dawe ("Way Too Long").
  
  The LooseChange production duo, consisting of Patrick Jordan-Patrikios and Youthonix (Hanni Ibrahim). LooseChange have worked with Little Mix on several songs, including "Touch" and "Joan of Arc."
• Jesy Nelson conceptualized the song following an especially painful breakup. As she reflected on why she's attracted to bad boys, the former Little Mixer came up with the idea of flipping Diddy's 2001 anthem "Bad Boy 4 Life." She messaged LooseChange and asked them to help her with "a song about why most women like bad boys" that uses the beat of "Bad Boy 4 Life."
• Nelson recruited Nicki Minaj for a verse, where she declares she too loves bad boys. The Queen Barbz previously collaborated with Little Mix on their 2018 song "Woman Like Me."
• Harry James directed the music video, which sees Nelson moving into a new perfect neighborhood and causing havoc. The clip is heavily inspired by Diddy's original promo, "Bad Boy 4 Life," which follows the same storyline. Diddy features, playing the disgruntled neighbor who comes over to complain. Minaj appears later, performing her guest verse with a band in the garage.
• Jesy Nelson told Glamour UK the "bad boy" who inspired this song is her ex-boyfriend, Sean Sager. Nelson dated the Our Girl actor for nine months between summer 2020 and spring 2021.